Last night on "60 Minutes," the man who - until recently - held the title of "Worst President Ever" decided to tell the world that it was Teddy Kennedy who personally killed universal health care 30 years ago.
According to Jimmy Carter, the "irresponsible and abusive" Kennedy was so bitter about not getting the Democratic nomination for President that he killed the healthcare bill out of spite, to prevent Carter from achieving a significant policy victory. After which, the liar...oops..."lion of the Senate" spent the next 30 years claiming healthcare as his "signature issue," even though his name is now more closely associated with water safety.
The former peanut farmer and part-time carpenter then went on to complain that Ronald Reagan removed Carter's solar panels from the Whitehouse roof because "he wanted to show that America was a great nation." And gosh, we wouldn't want a President doing that, would we?
Sadly, we can't get a comment from Teddy Kennedy about his perspective on Carter's accusations. But from the loud spinning sounds being reported from Kennedy's grave, we'd advise Jimmy to use those old solar panels to barricade his doors at night...
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Ted Kennedy put the "pool" in carpooling while Carter's obsession over his dismal place in history has made it clear to even the dullest of students just why it is best for former Presidents to enjoy their retirement quietly. A steady, hollow "thunk" is the only sound we should hear from Carter as he drives nails with his forehead.
ReplyDeleteStilt,
ReplyDeleteCarter is indeed the "Worst President Ever".
But let's give credit where credit is due : What Carter said about T. Kennedy is not new.
He already said it in 1982 in his Memoirs, Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President.
In his chapter, My One-Week Honeymoon With Congress, he blamed the Democrats and T. Kennedy about the failure of his Health Care Reform in the 70's.
I may be wrong, but I don't think he wanted to create an Universal Health Care. Here is some excerpts form his book :
Excerpts
You can read it online here.
Philip- Good catch, and we stand corrected. Carter wanted comprehensive (but not "universal") healthcare which would have emphasized preventive measures and basic medicine...but Kennedy wanted something much bigger and vastly more expensive - like Obamacare - as well as making sure that if he didn't get the credit for it, it wouldn't happen at all.
ReplyDeleteConsidering what Ted Kennedy is known to be guilty of, this is pretty small potatoes. Still, it's fun to watch Democrats eat each other.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, tastes like Scotch.
Father and son Bush have so much more class than Clinton and Carter when it comes to post presidential decorum. Carter in particular earned my wrath for shooting his mouth off in unhelpful ways while our troops were doing their best to defend this country. He's an odd, petty man who should keep his damn mouth shut.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of "could-have", "would-have", "should-have" & Ted Kennedy in the same breath, I'm sure Stilton (like me),is old enough to remember this from 1972:
ReplyDeleteIf Ted Kennedy Drove A Volkswagen, He'd Be President Today
I still have my original edition National Lampoon with the spoof ad - it was pulled from future editions.
Only thing missing is an empty cocktail glass in Teddy's boney hand...."Hey, bartender...I want one Bourbon, one Scotch, and one Beer.
ReplyDeletealan markus- I remember that ad very well. I really am that old!
ReplyDeleteCarter sees tea party parallels to his 1976 run
ReplyDeleteLiberals!! What ya gonna do with em? I know....VOTE EM OUT!!
ReplyDelete